NO FAKING FATE
by aristarazz
Summary: Karma finally admit her feelings to Amy, but Amy is swept away into the witness protection program after Hank gets himself into trouble in Columbia. After 5 years of zero contact, Karma's uncle dies and leaves their family a farm and radio station in Boone, which just happens to be the same town Amy has been residing in for the past 5 years. [Karma,Amy]
1. Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

KARMA POV

After seeing Sabrina kissing Amy, while hiding in the bushes with Felix, reality struck me like a lightning bolt straight through the heart. I didnt like it. In fact, I hated it. Amy was not supposed to kiss anyone but me. Suddenly everything became crystal clear. Amy was right all along. I was hopelessly in love with her. Why it took me so long to realise it, was beyond me. I needed to tell her, before we had another Reagan situation on our hands.

When I eventually found her later, I was nervous. Not because I was unsure of what I was feeling, I have never been more sure of anything, but of how she would react. Sure, my timing has always been completely ridiculous, but she needed to know. I found her lying on her bed, completely enthralled with her laptop and I secretly adored the way she frowns while concentrating. How did I never see all these little things that were so Amy. I knocked lightly on the door and started making my way over to the bed. She smiled, eyes gleaming, when she saw it was me. She got up and suddenly enveloped me in a quick, tight hug. My heart was racing.

 _ **"Amy, there is something I need to get off my chest before it is too late."**_

 _ **"Ok, but why so serious buttface?"**_

 _ **"It is serious Amy. I have been lying to you. No, I have been lying to myself."**_

 _ **"Ok Karma, you are starting to scare me. Just spill."**_

 _ **"Amy, seeing you two together tonight made me a little crazy. And I finally know why."**_

 _ **"Karma, what are you talking about?"**_

 _ **"I may have been spying on you and Sabrina with Felix earlier and I saw her kissing you."**_

 _ **"oh...you saw that huh? "**_

 _ **"Amy, the reason it made me crazy is that in that moment, I realised that you were right all along...I have been in denial so long that I didnt see the signs. Look, I know that I have been selfish all year and that I have put you through enough, but this time I am sure. Amy, I am hopelessly in love with you. I could never distinguish if the love I felt for you was purely platonic or not and thats why I never admitted to it. I didnt want to hurt you if I wasnt sure, but the second you walked into the hospital the other night after all I did to you, I knew. Then while you were parent trapping and we were lying in the back of that van, I almost kissed you. When I saw Sabrina kissing you tho, it became clear. Amy, I am not expecting you to drop everything after all I have put you through, I just need you to know."**_

She just stood there obviously reeling through everything in her head and it was like a lightbulb went off in her head and she finally brought her eyes up to meet mine. She was very unreadable, but she suddenly closed the space between us and kissed me softly on the lips. Suddenly, in that moment, it all came together. It felt like the world that has been so confusing lately, finally made sense again. No matter what happens from this moment forward, things will never be the same again.

 _ **"Karma, I have been waiting so long to hear you say those exact words, but are you sure? I cannot go through the pain of losing you again. I would not survive it again."**_

 _ **"Amy, I would never say it unless I meant it. I have never been more sure of anything. I think deep down I loved you from the minute I saw you too, I just didnt know what it meant until now. Amy, will you go to the homecoming dance with me? It would kind of be perfect since thats where it all started."**_ she said with a smile playing across her face.

 _ **"Of course I will Karma, there is no one I would rather go with."**_

 _ **"Ok, so I am gonna go and do some shopping and I will meet you there tonight?"**_

 _ **"The apocolypse couldnt keep me away from that dance with you tonight Karma. Oh, and I love you too. Always have."**_


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 1

KARMA POV

It has been 4 hours and 52 minutes since I declared my feelings to Amy. She could of rejected me for all I have put her through the last 2 years, but she was Amy. Perfect. I have never felt happier. My stomach was filled with butterflies and rainbows and I felt invincible. I was busy getting ready with the music blaring in the backround and as if on que, Straight up started playing. If that wasnt a sign of fate, I dont know what was.

I took one last look in the mirror and for once I was completely happy with what I saw. It was almost as if I was seeing myself through Amy's eyes. She always made me feel like the most perfect human being that ever lived. Even my hair fell perfectly, fate was definitely on my side today. I was in love, I looked the part and I was about to meet the love of my life in only 2 short hours. I had asked her to meet me at the entrance to the photo booth, because this day had to be documented for eternity.

As I finally made my way through the front doors of the school, everything felt the same, yet surprisingly different. Although I was elated and genuinely happy for the first time in months, I had this gnawing feeling that something was amiss. I had been texting Amy all afternoon, but she had not replied in hours. Knowing Amy though, she had probably left her phone somewhere, she wasnt like other girls who basically lived vicariously through their phones. (Herself included.) I made my way over to the photo booth and passed Shane and Noah on the way. He was giving Noah a hard time about something, but nothing could get in the way of my happiness. I was surprised not to find Lauren giving anyone a hard time as she was always the planner of these types of events and usually showed up hours before to make sure no one royally screwed up.

It has been an hour since Amy was supposed to meet me here and she still had not shown up. I was starting to get really worried now. She had not been answering texts for hours and her phone went straight to voicemail everytime I called. It wasnt like Amy to be late, even less without an excuse. I gave myself 20 more minutes before I would be going over to her house to see what the hell made her stand me up. Suddenly it hit me, what if she was running away because she didnt want to be with me anymore. I mean she said that nothing could keep her away from this dance and me and yet she didnt even bother to call to say she was gonna be late.

I had waited an extra half an hour before I made my way to Amy's house. I already had this gutwrenching feeling since the dance, but now, standing in front of the dark house, it was amplified. Dread filled every single corner of me right now as I made my way to the front door. It was ajar, which was already strange. I couldnt contain my angst anymore and ran the rest of the way up to Amy's room, but nothing prepared me for the sight when I got inside.

Everything in the house was a mess. Amy's cupboard doors were wide open, her clothes gone. All the photo's of us, gone. Everything that made this room Amy, was gone. On the bed was a photograph of us with a tear stained piece of paper only saying _**"I will always love you Karma, Im sorry. Keep this photo close to your heart and we will always find each other."**_

The tears had been falling from my eyes like rivers and I had no idea how long I had been lying here on her bed holding the photo to my chest. My life was over before it even had a chance to begin. I tried calling her a few more times, but still straight to voicemail. Something was strange though. I checked her twitter, facebook and tumblr accounts and everything was deactivated. She had disappeared without a trace, without an explanation and with no way to ever find out what happened. Amy was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 2

AMY POV

Here I find myself sitting on an plane unable to control my sobbing. Hank managed to get himself into some trouble in Columbia while on a job and suddenly he managed to ruin our lives yet again. Just after Karma had left my place earlier, some Government officials had arrived and informed us that we were in critical danger as Hank had been kidnapped on the border by a drug lord and that while he was held in captivity, we would have to be in the witness protection program. We literally had 2 hours to pack up whatever we could and here we are. We are not allowed to talk to anyone and every possible paper trail to us has been erased. Basically we now officially never existed.

I couldnt believe Hank. I would never again be able to call him dad after the hundredth time he has managed to ruin our lives. This time however, he really did a number on us. I would never see Karma again, we couldnt ever see the rest of our family again including Lauren and Bruce and we had to uproot every bit of our lives. He is the most selfish person on earth. We had no idea where we were going, what would be waiting for us on the other side or who we would be from this point forward.

Thinking about her hurt. Thinking about never seeing her again...devastating. Just thinking about her waiting for me at the photo booth with no explanation killed me inside. It must have taken every bit of courage from Karma to finally admit her feelings for me and just for a second I thought that finally I could have my happy ending. She must be devastated right now and just the mere thought of that made me sob even more uncontrollably. Just a few hours ago, I was about to embark on the rest of my life, finally with the woman I have loved since I was in kindergarden. Now, everything was unsure.

I look over at my mom. Her face is expressionless. I imagine that she is just as devastated as I am. She had to leave Bruce and Lauren behind and now she had to sit here with me sobbing like a newborn. I felt sorry for her. She had also just found happiness with Bruce and her job and our new family. I am wondering what this new life will bring. I am now officially Erin James and my mom is no longer Farrah, but Judy James. Sounds so tacky, but at least we got to pick our own first names for once. We were being flown to a small little place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina named Boone.

All I can think about is Karma. She must be freaking out thinking that it was her fault somehow because of what happened this afternoon. She was always the first to blame herself for everything and the thought of me being the cause of that killed me inside. My heart was broken into a million little pieces and I had no idea how I was supposed to pick myself up after this. I had just gotten through the worst 2 years of my life with all the Karma drama and realising I was gay and figuring out who I was and now just as I was starting to find my feet again, I was right back at square one.

I was staring out the window, tears still streaming freely down my face and I was thinking about Karma. How her eyes lit up when she looked at me, how she always ate her cupcakes by breaking it in half in order to put the icing inbetween the two pieces so that it was like a cupcake sandwich. The way she always played with her hair when she was nervous and the way her eyes always twitched when she was lying. How am I ever going to find a friend, a soulmate like that again? I wouldnt. I was never going to see Karma again.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

5 YEARS LATER

KARMA POV

My parents have been dodging me all afternoon and I had no idea why. My mom is running up here with camomile tea every 5 minutes and I keep catching one of them looking at me with a weird expression. Suddenly I couldnt take it anymore. I walked up to my mom with pure determination.

 _ **"Mother, what is going on?"**_

 _ **"Whatever do you mean sweety?"**_

 _ **"Dont bullshit me mom. You and dad have been walking around me all day on egg shells and I know when something is going on."**_

 _ **"Honey, I dont know how to tell you this..."**_

 _ **"Mom, I am a big girl now. Whatever it is, walking circles around me isnt going to solve the problem."**_

 _ **"Karma, Uncle Jed passed away last night."**_

 _ **"What?"**_

 _ **"He had a car accident on the way back from a meeting and he didnt make it."**_

 _ **"Oh my God."**_

Tears were running down my face. Uncle Jed had always been my favourite and I loved him so much. I couldnt imagine a world without him in it. Memories were flashing through my head. He bought me my first guitar and would always make me play him songs whenever he came to visit. He always used to say that I would be huge one day. He even used to mention his niece on WMMY-FM. He had bought the country radio station years ago in his small hometown of Boone. Home to all the Bluegrass musicians he used to say. He had also bought a local restaurant and pub a few years ago called the Boone Saloon where artists could come show their local talents. He was always so proud to be a part of such culture. He was the centre of it.

 _ **"Karma. That is not all of it."**_

 _ **"What do you mean mom?"**_

 _ **"We just came back from the lawyers settling his estate."**_

 _ **"Yeah?"**_

 _ **"Uncle Jed left the Boone Saloon to your dad and myself aswell as the farm close to the river."**_

 _ **"You want us to move out there?"**_

 _ **"He also left the radion station to you Karma."**_

 _ **"What?"**_

 _ **"You know how fond he always was of you and your music and he wants you to share it with the world"**_

 _ **"Mom, I dont know what to say. When were you planning to go out there?"**_

 _ **"Well, there is a foreman taking care of the farm at the moment, but there is no one to oversee the pub and the station at the moment, so we were thinking of moving out there next week already."**_

 _ **"Wow, that is so soon."**_

 _ **"I know honey, but what is truly left here for us in Austin?"**_

She knew her mom's words were true. Since Amy left here about 5 years ago, (Who was I kidding? 4 years, 302 days and a couple of hours ago)there was never anything really keeping me here besides my parents. I had withdrawn alot during the past few years besides my weekly visits with Shane and Lauren. Bruce had moved back to Austin to stay with Lauren and we had bonded over our mutual affection for Amy. Shane also missed her beyond belief. I had basically concentrated on my music alot and had actually gotten pretty good at it. I had booked a few gigs at the Twain for the last 2 years and because I had drawn a pretty good crowd, I was paid pretty well. Besides the Twain, I did private music lessons from home and I enjoyed it so much.

I realised that as much as I would miss Lauren and Shane and my life here, it would be nice to get away and start on a clean slate. Everything here in Austin still reminded me of Amy and I still wondered every single day what happened to her. I think the not knowing was the reason I couldnt just forget. We never had closure and it sucked. I still constantly used to check social media sites just in case she was back online, but she literally dropped off the face of the earth. No one had heard from or seen her since that day.

I decided to meet Shane and Lauren at the Twain for our usual night of mayhem in order for me to tell them that we were starting a new life. When I got there, Shane had already ordered shots and myself and Lauren shared a knowing look.

 _ **"Shane, get over here. I have some news."**_

 _ **"Hey my two beautiful ladies."**_

 _ **"So listen up...My uncle Jed recently passed away and it turns out that he left the farm and the pub to my parents and his radio station to, well...me"**_

 _ **"Uncle Jed, the one who always used to sing your musical praises?"**_

 _ **"The one and only."**_

 _ **"Wait a minute...does this mean you are moving?"**_

 _ **"Unfortunately yes."**_

 _ **"Where is this place anyway? Is it at least close?"**_

 _ **"Its in the Blue Ridge Mountains. A place called Boone. Its in North Carolina."**_

 _ **"Thats like 1300 miles away..."**_ Shane said with a sad face. _**"Well, when is this move supposed to be taking place?"**_

 _ **"Next week."**_

 _ **"Damn, that is so soon...Well, in that case, we have to see tonight as your going away party. Lets get shitfaced."**_

Even though my life was about to change in a big way, I was excited. It was a great way to start fresh and I needed that. I also had a new radion station, which meant I got to do something I loved every single day of my life. I have stayed around Austin so long hoping that if Amy ever came back, I would be here waiting. I cant wait anymore. It was time to start my life. Time to let go...


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

5 YEARS LATER

AMY POV

I have been living in Boone for the last 5 years now. I cannot believe that time has gone by so quickly and so slow all at the same time. After my stint with Pussy Explosion a few years back, my love and interest for photography amplified and so I had enrolled into Appalachian State University and completed a photography and film course. During that time I had saved up enough doing freelance photography for weddings, birthdays etc. and I had finally decided to buy a small premises recently. I had turned the basement into a dark room and the main part into a small gallery. At first it was touch and go, but it had really started taking off. Every session I got better and my love for expressions turned out to be quite the money maker. Karmy Photography was the best thing I ever did for myself and getting to do what I love everyday didnt suck either.

Everyday before opening, I found myself staring at the portrait behind the desk. Everyday I am transported back to 5 years ago when the girl in the portrait told me she loved me back. I had taken a picture of Karma years ago while she was sleeping, without her knowing of course and when I went through my laptop upon moving here, I had come across it. When I bought this place, I blew it up and added some filters to it illuminating the face that stared back at me everyday. I used it as inspiration. She had always been my muse and it helps me to look at her before I go out on a session. She still inspired me after all these years.

I usually kept to myself besides my meetings with my art director (as Tammy liked to call herself. basically a sales person) and my weekly visits with my mom on the farm. She had surprisingly adapted to small town living rather well and had met Randy about 2 years ago and fell madly in love again. I had moved out at about the same time and had bought a loft apartment with a dark room of course in order for me to have some privacy and of course peace and quiet. I have adapted quite well here in Boone, the only regret I have is that I never got closure with Karma. Actually, the fact that she isnt here with me. I missed her every single second and the fact that even though Hank had finally been set free after 3 years in captivity 2 years ago, I still wasnt allowed to go back to my old life or contact anyone in it. Fortunately for us though, Hank couldnt come near us anymore either, which was a huge relief.

I was on my way to the Boone Saloon. My favourite gem in this place. They always had live music, which of course reminded me of Karma and the food was great. I had a meeting with Sarah from the Mountain Times to discuss my new ad for the gallery. Due to me being in the witness protection program, we still had to keep a low profile, meaning no facebook or any other social media platforms. Fortunately, that never bothered me much as I had never really been the social media butterfly to begin with. Our meeting wasnt long and she was gone again within an hour. I stayed behind as the music was about to start and the manager came up to the stage. Caught up in my own thoughts, I just basically caught the jist of his announcement that the owner of the pub had passed away and that the new owners would be arriving next week.

I decided to leave early as I had an early session at the river in the morning. I usually went up there just before sunrise in order to catch the best light. The lighting made a huge difference to the pictures and I loved being out in nature so early with nothing but birds and wildlife around me. It was so peaceful. As I leave Boone Saloon though, I get this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach like my life is about to change. Almost the same feeling I had the day the two government guys had arrived at my house to uproot my life. It left me feeling uneasy.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

KARMA POV

It has been the craziest week so far. I have been packing for days and everything seems to be in disarray. My room was a series of boxes, piles of clothes and it felt like I was never going to get to the end of it. We literally had 2 days left in Austin and my nerves were starting to kick in. What if I was no good at the radio station, what if I didnt make any new friends, what if I hated it there? These types of questions were keeping me up at night. I threw yet another pile of clothing into the charity pile. I figured, new life, new wardrobe, new Karma.

Packing up your whole life was much harder than I anticipated. When everything is in your room set up, it doesnt look like much stuff, but when you try pack all that stuff up, it turns out that its much more stuff than you thought. As I pick up a pile of clothing from the floor, a file falls out. I give a giggle as I realise that it is the handy dossier on lesbians I had made for Amy when we decided to fake it the first time. It made me miss her again. Well not again, even more than I do every second. I even had an Amy box where all our friendship things were in. Photo's, memories, clothes of hers, our friendship necklace and most importantly, her favourite hoodie I had borrowed just before she left one night when I slept over. It stopped smelling like her years ago, but it was still my most prized possession.

2 DAYS LATER

The time has finally come. Everything is already on the U-Haul and we are busy locking the front door. Myself, Lauren and Shane had already had our tearful goodbyes the night before in order to make it a little less harder than it was. As I look back towards the house, something inside me changed. As sad as I was leaving my life behind, I felt the ignition of excitement. A new chapter of my life was beginning and I couldnt wait to see what the future holds.

I spend most of the 20 hour drive in the backseat of my parents car looking at old pictures on my phone of myself and Amy. (Until my battery died anyway.) I figured if I was going to put everything behind me, I get one day to just reminisce on the old times and remember everything that was part of my past. Part of letting go is recognising the scars you have and what caused them and then moving on from there. Healing is a process.

THE ARRIVAL

As we were driving into the town of Boone, I was mesmerized. This was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Huge mountains and clear blue skies and it was breathtaking. When we finally arrived at the farm I was even more blown away. The river was huge and gorgeous and the farm was magnificent. I couldnt believe that this would be my home for the next chapter of my life and suddenly I felt lucky. And content.

Packing out was a slow process as we had literally driven 20 hours and we were all exhausted. I decided to investigate the house in order to pick a room of course. The room I picked was huge. It had a stunning view of the river and a walk in closet. I decided to just pack the clothes into the cupboards in the meantime and retrieved a photo of Amy and I to put on the bedstand and then decided to take a short nap. I was exhausted.

When I woke up, the house was eerily quiet and I had no idea why. I made my way downstairs just to find a note on the door stating that my parents had gone to the Boone Saloon to get some take out and to arrange a meeting with the manager in order to start settling how everything was going to work. I took a look in the fridge and took a water out. Walking out onto the veranda, I was speechless. The sun was busy setting and it was the most incredible view. Amy would have loved this place.

I made my way back up to my room and decided to unpack the rest of my things so that I could go and investigate the town and the radio station in the morning. I was won over. I had hardly seen much of this place, but I was already sold. I couldnt wait to start my new life here. It was the first time in years I felt so alive.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

AMY POV

My alarm went off at 4 in the morning. I made my way down to the kitchen sleepily and nearly collided with a wall. It was no secret that I wasnt meant for early mornings, but it was a small price to pay for the magnificent lighting I get to my shots at the river. As I smell the sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee, it starts to wake me up slowly. After finishing my coffee and checking my emails, I went up to get changed for my early morning run up to the river with my camera. Ipod is fully charged and I press play before making my way out the door.

The river was breathtaking this time of the morning and I decided to try out something I saw on a movie once...apparently you can catch some amazing shots if you take pictures while running with the shutter open. I decided to just do a few of those as I made my way up to my most favourite spot on a giant rock. This particular rock was like most rocks, except it gave you the most perfect view of the river and the lighting in this particular shot gave you the most amazing clarity in your shots. Every morning I came up here it felt like the first time, because I always spot something I had not before or I felt something I didnt before. It was like a black hole for emotions except awe...

There was only one house here, just up the hill, but I had never known who owned the house. I usually kept to myself except for the immediate people I had to deal with. All I kept thinking was how amazing the view must be from up there. I always took some shots of the house as the sun was rising. The sun was always at its most beautiful when it came over the roof of the house and the house looked like it was covered in this amazing multi coloured light. The most perfect oranges, pinks and gold with the most blue sky illuminating it. I took a few more pictures of some birds in flight, fish jumping out of water and of course the sun making its way over the house on the hill. I decided it was time to make my way home for a shower before developing the pictures of this mornings run in my darkroom before heading in to my shop.

I was busy in my darkroom developing the pictures from this morning when I got a call from Tammy at the shop letting me know that since she sold a bunch of pictures yesterday, that I should take my time with the pictures in order to bring her some new material and that she had already looked at samples for new frames. I was still busy talking with her, trying to tell her that we would talk when I got to the shop when I noticed that one of the pictures was starting to appear in the liquid and from what I could make out, I had actually managed to get a silhouette of a girl in the window in the picture of the house on the hill. It was still busy developing, but for some crazy reason, it looked an awful lot like a silhouette I used to know all too well. I had obviously been quiet for too long when I heard Tammy ask if I was still there. I said quick goodbyes and then waited with bated breath for the photo to finish developing. I stared at it for what seemed like hours and even when it was fully developed, I couldnt get a clear view. It was definitely a girl, she definitely had long red hair, but that was about it. I had never seen anyone in the house on the hill and I guess I had always assumed that it was some old man who lived up there. Now I was certainly curious. I had never seen this girl before and yet she seemed weirdly familiar.

I finished developing the rest of the pictures and was actually surprised with how well some of the pictures turned out, since they were taken while running. It gave them a sort of distorted beauty and I would definitely hang that up, so I decided to take some of the better ones with me to the shop so we could display it as a new range. I was usually better with expressions on people, but my latest little project with taking pictures of random things and using diffrent visions was turning out to interest me completely. It gave me an idea. I wanted to do an exhibition. I wanted to take series of diffrent types of photographs and display them in a mysterious new way. I still had to think of the exact way and the kinds of photographs, but I felt excited about it. I wanted to take this to the next level. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone for once. Its been so long since I had, that I had forgotten how good it could feel.

Once I got to the shop, Tammy had sold a few more photographs and was completely pleased with herself. I told her about my idea for the exhibition and she had a bunch of ideas and seemed way too excited for my liking, so I told her to keep it up and decided to go for lunch at the Boone Saloon and do some research on diffrent exhibits. Even though I didnt have to hide anymore, out of habit, I still chose the booth in the darkest corner of my favourite place. I was quite engrossed in my research when I noticed an older couple walking out of the restaurant. I could only see their backs, but for a second I could swear that it was Molly and Lucas. I quickly dismissed the thought from my head as the chances of that was literally impossible. I continued with my research, when the idea struck me. The entire exhibition should be in 3D. But not just the usual...some of the pictures should be in black and white, with one bright colour blown up. Some should be distorted with movement. Suddenly it seemed like ideas were just flowing out of me and I had a good feeling that this would be the best accomplishment if I managed to do this properly. I called Tammy and told her that I would be missing for a few days and that she should hold the ford. I had a feeling that the silhouette in the window would be my centrepiece, so I was going to spend the next few days trying to capture her. Another sighting was unlikely, but since I had nothing but time, I was going to spend every waking moment taking pictures down by the river and try to capture a better picture. A perfect picture for the perfect centrepiece...I had no idea why this girl in the window was occupying my mind so much, but my gut was telling me that I should pursue this. I always went with my gut, especially because I was completely intrigued...


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

KARMA POV

Getting up this morning, I felt content. I was going to investigate a bit in town, check out the radio station and the Saloon. This was my new start, my time to start fresh and I was intenting to embrace it with open arms. Going through my cupboards though, I realised that I would have to go do some clothes shopping as I had thrown most of mine out before the move. I grabbed a dark blue skinny jean and my pair of adidas sneakers and decided to wear Amy's hoodie. As much as I wanted to move on, this was a scary new chapter in my life and I wanted her near me somehow. As soon as I was dressed, I was out the door with car keys in hand.

On the drive over to the station, I turned on the radio in the car and was extremely pleased that my favourite Taylor Swift song (Begin Again obviously) was playing. I turned the sound louder and suddenly realised that I would have to purchase some photo frames aswell. If we were going to start fresh here, I wanted to start making it feel like home as soon as possible. I was singing loudly to the music and found that it was so fitting to me right now. New beginnings were imminent.

The radio station was small and personal and I loved the authenticity. I have always been a very sentimental person and this would fit me perfectly. I spent about 3 hours there getting to know everyone and getting the lowdown on how everything works. Everyone here was so nice and accomodating and it was decided that I would take Uncle Jed's spot from 8 to 10 every morning and that I would start next week Monday, once we were settled in nicely. Fortunately Uncle Jed had a fantastic team, so the bookkeepers were very efficient, meaning that at least the business side of things were well taken care of. I would still have to have a meeting with all the sponsors, but fortunately everyone was willing to postpone it for a while as everything so far was running smoothly.

It was time to make my way into town and get to know the place a bit. I started the car and decided to go for an early lunch first before I go on my shopping expedition. The place was quaint and very old school. I loved it. When one walked in, you could already feel all the history that was in every picture and every single booth and of course the decor. Messages were written all over the walls of visitors over the years and it had a small stage that would give you a very intimate audience. If my parents would have it, I would definitely be playing here. Lunch was amazing and I asked one of the waitresses to guide me to some cloting stores. She was talking about an old record store when she noticed my eyes on the stage and I was immediately intrigued. Old record stores was like a sanctuary for me and I always managed to pick up the most amazing bargains on limited editions.

After spending a few hours on shopping for some new clothes, I finally decided to go check out this old record store the waitress was talking about. It was everything I imagined and then some. I immediately felt at home. I spent a good amount of time listening and purchasing old records when I spotted a photography place right across the road. It wouldnt have been that sygnificant under normal circumstances, but then I noticed the name. Karmy photography. That used to be the shipname myself and Amy used to have in school when we were still faking being lesbians. Immediately I was determined to find out how a photography shop in a small town in North Carolina would randomly have that name. I paid in a hurry and before I knew it, I was standing right in front of the store. I would have just gone in immediately, but for some reason my body wouldnt move at first. I had this feeling inside my bones that going into this store was somehow going to be much more sygnificant than I initially thought.

My feet finally started to go one in front of the other and before I knew it, I was staring at a giant blown up magnificent portrait of myself. It felt like I was frozen solid, till a woman with a bright smile came walking up to me asking if she could help me. Her eyes followed mine and immediately realization was reflecting in her eyes.

 _ **"OH MY GOD! Erin is never going to believe this!"**_

 _ **"Erin?"**_

 _ **"Yeah, she is the owner of this shop and that was the first portrait we ever hung here in the gallery."**_

As curious as I was to find out exactly how a very intimate portrait of myself was hanging in this gallery, I could barely string two words together if I tried. I just turned around and walked right out, leaving a very confused woman behind staring after me. I got into the car and just sat there. Thoughts were driving me crazy...there were very few people who could have taken this picture and I was pretty sure that there was only one person in particular who could possibly have it. I held my hand over my heart, clutching to Amy's hoodie. Something very strange was going on here and I was determined to find out what that is. If I have to spend every day in that record store spying on that gallery, I was going to do it. If there was even a slight chance that Amy had anything to do with this, I had to know.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

AMY POV

Sitting on my rock, I realised with irritation that I had left my phone on the charger at home leaving in such a hurry to start my attempt to catch the mysterious woman on camera. I took a moment to just breathe in the beauty around me. Some days I missed Austin, but being here the past couple of years had been so good for me. Being so close to nature and seeing all this beauty around you everyday. I couldnt have chosen a better place myself to start over.

I had been sitting out here now for a couple of days and yet still no mystery woman. I had managed to capture quite a few amazing pictures, but I had a heavy feeling clouding my mojo and I wasnt liking it one bit. I decided that I was going to take the rest of the day off and just veg out watching netflix and catching up on a few shows. Not getting a sighting was irritating me way more than it should and I just wasnt in the mood to continue. I finally checked my phone and there were numerous missed calls and messages. After a few angry texts from Tammy, one message in particular caught my eye. She was talking about some mystery girl and suddenly I decided to open the message.

 _ **"If you would just answer your phone, you would know by now that the mystery girl in your portrait above the desk was here today. SHE WAS ACTUALLY HERE!"**_

My heart skipped several beats, Im pretty sure if someone had a stethoscope, I would have been clinically dead for a few seconds. That was impossible. Karma Ashcroft couldnt possibly have been inside my gallery. Tammy surely made a mistake. Right? The possibility didnt even occur to me, I mean what are the odds of that? I decided to narrow it down to a mistake and I could deal with Tammy's error when I got into the shop over the weekend. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching Gillmore Girls. Usually I wouldnt be caught dead watching such a soppy show, but I wasnt in the mood for thinking or anything serious.

I awoke on the couch with a start. Dreaming of Karma happened so regularly, but in this particular dream, it felt so real. I had gone for my usual Friday night dinner at the Boone Saloon and she had come out on stage singing that stupid song she sang for Liam at that Hester Protest years ago. I had thought and dreamt of her so much over the years, but in the last couple of days it was magnified by millions. Suddenly after seeing the mystery girl, some strange curiosity and intrigue had taken over me and she was suddenly living in every corner of my mind again. Like no time had passed whatsoever. I was feeling unsettled and edgy and I had no idea why I was reliving the worst thing that ever happened to me over again completely out of the blue.

It was strange, but myself and Karma used to joke around that we were like twins. We were always able to feel when the other was near. Kind of like telepathy and the feeling had gone away when we moved here, but for the last couple of days it was like it suddenly ignited again. She was over a thousand miles away and yet it felt like she had never been closer. I have never wished more that I could just reach out to her. Hear what she has been up to the last couple of years and more than anything, apologise. This would always be my biggest regret, not being able to say goodbye and apologise. I still picture her face as she realised I wasnt coming to the dance, the pain she must have felt, the confusion of me just disappearing from the face of the earth with nothing but a tear stained note.

She was haunting my dreams for years and now she was even haunting my conscious thoughts. I got up and decided to go to my darkroom. Concentrating on work, usually quieted the noise in my head and right about now I had a choir going on in there. The photos came out amazingly and I had already picked a few to display. Even though I didnt get my mystery girl for the centre piece yet, I have just about enough for the display so I decided that I wasnt going to go up to there for a while. It was bringing up way too many emotions I was trying to suppress for years and I had no idea why, but I knew it had something to do with the red haired woman in the house on the hill.

I spent the rest of the night till the early morning hours doing some more research on the 3d displays and everything was coming together nicely. I had decided to incorporate UV lighting in some of the frames to illuminate the images and wanted to create a sort of Alice in Wonderland type of theme in the shape of a maze and have certain areas with mirrors creating a sort of distraction and illusion. I already had the whole setup visualised in my mind and there was just a few loose ends I would have to go into town for tomorrow. As much as I wanted to use the exhibition as the only excuse for going into town, I needed to confirm Tammy's grave error to put my mind at ease. I was feeling uneasy after receiving that message and I wasnt exactly sure if the reason was that I didnt want it to be her OR that I really wished it was.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

KARMA POV

I have not slept a single wink since my experience in that gallery in town. It was boggling my mind beyond repair. How in the world would a picture of me sleeping have ended up in a town over a thousand kilometres away from Austin? More importantly, who would have it and why in the world would they display it? One way or another, I was going to find out who exactly this Erin person was and it couldnt wait.

I jumped out of bed immediately and ran a bath. While the bath was running, I went over to my cupboard and decided on an outfit to disguise myself. Well, not a complete disguise, just something that wouldnt make it so obvious that it was me, just in case that lady at the store remembered me from the other day. I still felt kind of bad for just running off like that. I decided on a black skinny jean, white strapped top and a purple and black flannel top to put over. I picked up my small black pinstripe hat and decided it would cover my hair nicely. As I was picking shoes, I realised the water was almost running over the bath and I ran over to the bathroom, nearly colliding with the wall on the side of the door.

I turned off the water quickly and literally made it just in time before I flooded the entire bathroom. I let some of the water out and got into the bath. I needed to relax, even if it was just for a couple of minutes. I got into the water slowly and laid my head back against the bath. I closed my eyes and let my thoughts trail back to the last day I saw Amy. I remembered vividly how she looked as if I was looking at her right now. I remembered how she smelt, how her eyes lit up whenever she laid her eyes on me, how she used to frown whenever she would concentrate and most importantly, how her lips tasted when we finally kissed for real, without faking anything on the last day. God, I have never missed her this much. When I finally opened my eyes, tears were running down my cheeks slowly and I decided to finish up so that I could go into town and find out what was going on and finally put this behind me, it hurt way too much thinking about her, especially since I was trying to start a new life.

I was ready and out of the door within 20 minutes. I got a take away latte before I made my way back to the record store. I had the perfect view of the entrance and I was going to stay there as long as it took to see exactly who this Erin woman was. I had to keep busy, so I went through the records throroughly and came across some classics. After about an hour (which seemed like an eternity) I got a call from my mom telling me that I should meet them for lunch at the Saloon. I told them to meet me in an hour, so I could at least have a little more time. I havent spotted anything out of the ordinary yet, but something told me to hold on just a little longer. I continued my adventure through some of the best music never taking my eyes off that window for longer than a few seconds. I came across and old Bob Dylan record and was just about to add it to my purchase pile when I spotted a yellow jeep stopping in front of the gallery. My curiosity was immediately ignited. I stared at the jeep, waiting for the person to exit the car, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to see.

I was frozen to the spot...as the woman climbed out of the jeep, I noticed the long blonde hair tied up in a loose pony tail. She had not turned around yet, but she didnt need to. I recognised her immediately. There was no doubt in my mind that the woman was none other than Amy. Amy made her way into the gallery and I still couldnt move. I stood there frozen for what seemed like hours and for once in my life I was clueless as to what my next move should be. Do I go over there and confront her or do I walk away and think of what I was going to say first? Before I knew it though, I was standing right in front of the entrance of the gallery shaking from head to toe. I was still in a daze when suddenly the door opened and we were standing face to face for the first time in 5 years.

I think the shock on both of our faces was expected, but we just stood there forever and just looked at each other. Neither of us able to form words or move for that matter. Before it became too arkward though, Amy just suddenly grabbed me and held me so tight that it felt I couldnt breath with tears streaming down both of our faces. We obviously had alot to discuss, but in this moment we were frozen just holding each other like it was the last time we would see each other again and we never got that moment before now.


End file.
